Do Something

Year 8-Day 204: Today, I am grateful for the opportunity to do something. 

Think outside the box. I think that in the midst of this pandemic it is easy to focus on the things we "can't" do. Can't is a self defeating thought in most cases. I really love the quote that says, "Impossible is really 'I'm possible'." There is not need to be defeated if we remember who is in charge of the universe. 

"What a shame it would be if we were waiting on God to say something, while He's been waiting on us to do something." -Bob Goff

I loved reading "Love Does". It is a must read book. Bob is hilarious and captures what it means to be human between the pages as it teaches about the power of love... God's love. Bob G. tells the story of his determination to make "Sweet Maria" his wife. He simply would not give up. I think he wore her down... and he would agree. 

To show love to another person and to be an example of God's love, we have to do something! We can't sit idle and wait for it to happen. We have to find the courage to put ourselves out there, even if the possibility of rejection is there. 

In "Love Does" we learn how Bob was rejected by Maria... but that was not where it stopped. He persisted until she started to see him as the raw material of a man God had placed in her path. The snippets of their love story shared in the book make me want to meet Maria. She is obviously a special lady and just the partner he would need for life's adventure. 

Bob was rejected by the law school he wanted to attend, and he wore them down, too. He persisted until he succeeded which is right out of Og Mandino's "Ten Scrolls to Success". Prayer, persistence and a powerful patience when kneeling at the throne of His grace seem to be tools needed for doing more... more for God in our season on this pretty blue planet. What are we waiting for? 

“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."-Habakkuk 1:5 & Acts 13:41

Do something! Every day is a new beginning. Yesterday was practice. Tomorrow is waiting for you to do something today. 

Today, I am grateful for the opportunity to do something. 

Giant Tumble

Year 8-Day 203: Today, I am grateful giants tumble. 

Having a little technology difficulties today. Some days are like that. There are gremlins unseen. This seemed like the perfect way to keep it short and simple. 

"You face giants by facing God first. Focus on giants, you stumble. Focus on God, your giants tumble." -Max Lucado 

There are seasons when the battles seems big and the slingshot so small. What good can a few stones do against big trials or struggles? I love the simple reminder that our God is bigger than any giant in the way. What changes the game is where we place our focus. 

One of my favorite passages is where Peter acknowledges without hesitation who Jesus is. That recognition was huge! Bold belief when the world thought them crazy.

"He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”-Matthew 16:15-16

It is good to know what we are facing. It is better to know who goes before us, goes with us and never falters. The giant doesn't really stand a chance. 

Today, I am grateful giants tumble. 

Meals Around the Table

Year 8-Day 202: Today, I am grateful for meals around a family table. 

Three of our four kids have birthdays between the beginning of July and early August. We have five other family birthdays and an anniversary in that season, too. What's the point? Birthdays, for us, mean time around the family table. 

Sharing a meal with a stranger or a casual friend is hospitality. Sharing a meal with family is something special. It is intimate and sweet. The Love of my Life and I do not take one meal around the family table for granted. 

Under Covid-19 restrictions, we have opted for carry out and cooking at home for our birthday celebrations, when we would normally enjoy the luxury of a meal out. The upside is the ability to relax and linger without tying up a table someone else might need at a restaurant. 

When we eat at home, there are times we clear the table and share games. We all have our favorites. We are fortunate that the games result in more laughter than competition. It doesn't really matter who wins. The win is in the gathering together. This year, we appreciate physically being together even more than we did last year. Together is a good place to be. 

I followed on of those "rabbit holes" on the internet about Michael Oher and the Tuohy family. They are the family from "The Blind Side". The rabbit hole was some of Michael Oher's thoughts on the movie. Things that were accurate and things that were Hollywood's interpretation of real events. One stood out to me. 

In the movie, Michael Oher convinces his new family to sit with him around the dinner table. It is true! He regularly requested that they eat together. That simple act of being a family was the one he craved. Far more than their generosity, the fact that he had a place at the table where he really belonged spoke volumes about being a family. It spoke volumes about his belonging. 

Family isn't about genetics... and it certainly isn't about skin color. True family is born in the heart. Yes, some come from the womb, but it is the heart that seals the deal. Love is a choice we make daily in families, too. Putting another's needs before our own desires is one way we show love. Love always demands sacrifices, but when we love... it isn't that big of a deal. Family is where we start from and where we end. With family, we always have a place at the table. 

This passage was perfect. It is referencing that in Jesus, all are welcome at the table. All belong in the kingdom of God when they kneel at the cross, accepting Christ as Lord. From every corner of the world... every race and nation... there will be new faces at the table. 

"And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God." -Luke 13:28

There is much to look forward to on that day. 

Today, I am grateful for meals around a family table. 

Light Crashes Through Darkness

Year 8-Day 201: Today, I am grateful when light crashes through darkness.

I am fascinated by the way light disperses darkness. They cannot co-exist. Light the tiniest match and the darkness is interrupted.

It feels like there is so much darkness in the world today. I remember a seasoned parent saying, "Nothing good happens after ... ". I don't remember the exact time, but the point was well taken. As the night presses on, people seem to be more prone to poor decisions. 

A campfire can be seen from a good distance, the glow calling campers to settle in for fellowship and conversation. The light is warm and inviting. 

A flashlight is a lifesaver when the lights go out. It provides what is necessary for simple tasks like a trip to the bathroom or foraging in the kitchen for snacks. One small flashlight can produce what feels like a great light. 

"The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine." -Isaiah 9:2

It is easy to become discouraged when darkness is pressing in, but we can hold on to the hope that light always wins. The Darkness is always broken by the Light. Spoiler alert: God wins!

Today, I am grateful when light crashes through darkness.

Newest Daugther

Year 8-Day 200: Today, I am grateful for my newest daughter. 

Happy Birthday to my newest daughter-in-love. Just a few weeks ago Abigail said, "I will." She trusts our son to keep her heart safe, and I know he will. We are grateful for the way she loves our Walker, and the way he loves her back. 

I love this picture from their wedding day. She looks radiant. She was a beautiful bride. She is equally comfortable in a barn. I think she loves animals almost as much as she loves people.She is a fan of sunshine and bare feet. 

Abi has a heart full of compassion. She shows endless patience when caring for others. She currently serves as a CNA and has already worked caring for the sick and dying in their homes. She is on her way to becoming a nurse. 

She is smart and funny. She is not afraid of hard work. She is resilient, grateful and loyal. She is a perfect fit for Walker. We love watching them grow together with every plot twist that comes along in their love story. They have learned quickly the power of laughter and the comfort of simply being together. 

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." -1 Corinthians 13:7

Happy Birthday, Abigail. We love you very much.

Today, I am grateful for my newest daughter.

Mind Training

Year 8-Day 199: Today, I am grateful for mind training. 

Science is learning the power of gratitude. Science eventually catches up with the thing I've read in the Bible... but some fields take longer than others. 

The medical field is starting to document the truth that how we train our mind matters. Intentional gratitude can be mood elevating, depression fighting and to make it simple... it feels good. 

Intentional gratitude requires some mind training. "Train your mind to see the good in everything." Looking for the good does not negate the very real trials we face. It does, however, wash away some of the discouragement. 

We can intentionally look for the good in the darkest of days. I've always loved the name of the movie, "Hope Floats". The movie is okay... but it is the title I find the most memorable. When all seems lost, somehow... hope rises. 

"For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  1 Corinthians 13:29-31

Whatever comes our way, we choose a grateful heart or nestle into discouragement. Mind training makes a world of difference. His Word is full of training, so that we know how to face each new day.

Today, I am grateful for mind training. 

Life As Worship

Year 8-Day 198: Today, I am grateful we can live life as worship.

Every once in a while, I find a quote that goes into my forever favorites. I found this quote and it resonated with my soul:

“To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.” ― St. Augustine of Hippo.

What a great thought. It presents life as an act of worship. All of life... every day... for the whole day. 

We can wake up with a "Good morning, Lord." and open our hearts to listen for His guidance. We can let His Spirit guide our days and our ways. We can chase His heart and look for His face in life's ordinary tasks. It is life as worship.

Romans 12:1 came to mind immediately:

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

We don't have to be perfect. We simply have to seek Him. 

"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." -Jeremiah 29:13

To seek and find Him is the greatest human adventure and achievement.

Today, I am grateful we can live life as worship